Make a felt holly leaf garland this Christmas

For me, Christmas is all about the crafting. Handmade gifts, home-cooked meals and crafted decorations, all to the backdrop of some festive tunes… what could be better?! As you might of seen, I recently had the chance to share some of my handmade Christmas decorations on Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas – so I thought it would be good to show how I made them, in case you wanted to give them a try!

One of my favourite pieces I made for the show is my DIY felt holly leaf garland. It’s bright, bold and oh-so-festive! It’s a great alternative to tinsel for your Christmas tree, or you could drape it along the stairs, hang it on the wall, even dress the dinner table with it!

How to make a DIY felt holly leaf garland

Supplies

A piece of thin card

Several sheets of felt in different shades of green

Sewing machine

Green thread

Twine or string

Tutorial

First up, you need to make a some stencils. Sketch or trace 2 holly leaf outlines (one slightly larger than the other) onto some thin card, then cut them out neatly.

Use these stencils to draw lots of holly leaf shapes onto your felt, then cut them all out. You can make as many as you want – but obviously the more you make, the longer your holly leaf garland will be. So the more the merrier!

With all of your holly leaves cut out, it’s time to start assembling the garland. There are two designs: a flat layered one, and a 3D one. For the flat one, simply layer two felt holly leaf shapes (in different shades of green) on top of each other, then stitch them in place. You can even use the stitches to make “veins” on the leaf – just run the sewing machine up the centre of the leaf and out to the sides, as you can see in my photos.

For the 3D holly leaf, simply place two identical felt pieces on top of each other, then run a single line through up through the centre of the leaf. You can then fold the leaves outwards, so they create a 3D effect.

Lastly, use a needle or sewing machine to fix every leaf onto a long piece of string or twine – and your DIY felt holly leaf will be complete.

If sewing ain’t your thing, you could even make this with paper. Just switch out the felt for thin card, and use glue instead of a needle and thread. Customisation is one of the best things about crafting, right?!

As always, let me know if you give this DIY felt holly leaf a try – I’d love to know how you get on! Happy crafting – Mike.

About me

Mike is the owner and founder of The Crafty Gentleman, a website aimed at encouraging men into the world of crafts. He loves nothing more than an afternoon spent crafting, with a cup of tea and some good tunes in the background.